Where Home Lies
by Gin Ryo no Nari
Summary: I've never written a one shot, or a Rurouni Kenshin fic, so I thought: "What the hey..."


Untitled one shot

Gin Ryo no Nari

Rating G, maybe Pg 13 if you've lived a very, very sheltered life. No insult intended to those who actually have. 

I don't own, don't claim to. The Japanese people are geniuses when it comes to characters and intriguing story lines, with only a few rare exceptions that I've seen.

This has probably been done to death, so I apologize in advance if you've read this one hundred times over.

All other author's notes proceeding the story. Read. Review. Criticize.

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The air was quiet on the outskirts of Tokyo; vendors were packing up shop, families reunited after a daytime of separation. Just an average day in the life of a bustling town. Where our story lies, is not within the heart of the city itself but on a road leading out of the city. A mostly deserted road that crossed a small river, on the outskirts of a growing town.

The soft crunch of the ground underfoot being the predominate noise, however there was also the soft rushing sound of the river water flowing and ever so gradually eating away at the grassy banks which contained it. All of this was washed into the background by a soft baritone voice, "Kaoru-dono…"

The black haired woman paused behind the red-haired man who had said her name. He had stopped midway on the bridge, and was just standing there the red-orange light of the setting sun coloring his hair even more vividly. His voice was soft, but it managed to make it's way to her ears, "I have to go to Asakusa."

She was quiet as she processed his words, before taking a few steps closer to him as she spoke. "Then I'll go with you." He turned to face her, his violet eyes still warm but serious.

"I…" he looked at her face seeming to study her expression, "I need you to stay here. Train Yahiko. Maybe keep Sanosuke out of trouble." His mind was begging her to do this for him, begging her to stay here.

"You're coming back though--aren't you?" Her hand came up to rest worriedly on his hamaka over his chest. Kenshin was silent, unsure what to say to her. "Promise me you'll come back to the dojo. Promise that you'll come back to us." The pitch of her voice raised with her panic, and she could fell the telltale sting of tears forming in her eyes. She averted her face and took a step back from him in an attempt to hide them from him, the hand on his chest falling limply to her side.

Kenshin stepped towards her and raised her chin with two fingers. The setting sun caught the shimmer of tears in her blue-gray eyes and colored them as two silver streaks when they finally fell down her cheeks. "Kaoru-dono," his voice was the same gentle tone as normal but his words had the sound of a man fighting a losing battle with his emotions. "You have always made me feel welcome in your home, even when I was but a nameless wanderer." He gave serious thought to his next words, "As welcome as I feel there, at your home, and the dojo, I don't think I could ever promise to return to them." 

Kaoru felt more than heard the strangled gasp that came from her throat, her posture stiffened slightly. "I-- I understand," she choked out as she shakily turned away from him and consequently out his grasp.

She had managed two steps away from him before his warm hand closed on her wrist and turned her slightly towards him. He came to stand in front of her, her back now to the setting sun and the bridge rail. "Kaoru-dono, I am afraid that you do not understand at all." She would not look at him though; her head was turned to look over her shoulder sadly. He hated to handle her so, but took her face in his hand and turned her to look at him, leaning closer to her all the while. "I could never swear to return to a place. A location." He could see the tears pooling in her eyes, he needed to hurry up, "But I swear as long as there is breath in this body, and blood in these veins, I swear I will return to you."

Kaoru's tears flowed down, "Oh Kenshin!" She put an arm around his back, her hand tightly clutching his hamaka, while the other hand grabbed a fistful at his collar, as he embraced her.

"Kaoru, I have found in you, that which I never believed I would find when I lived the life of Hitokiri Battosai." He pulled back to look at her, "You are my home." He inclined his head ever so slightly, and the woman in his arm raised on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. 

Kaoru reached a hand to trace along his unscarred cheek and jaw. Kenshin's own hands were holding her to him, the fingers of one hand splayed possessively on the small of her back. The other cupped the back of her head, subconsciously coordinating their movements against one another. The nerves of their bodies spoke to their masters at every place the couple was pressed against each other, desperate for more contact. Yet in spite of this invisible pull, the couple did not do any of the frantic grasping and clutching of people who simply lusted for the one in their arms.

Warm lips greedy for more sensation sadly parted from one another. The air they pulled in now far less appreciated than the breaths they had shared for a few moments. Vivid purple eyes, which the owner had thought would never see a beautiful red, (for so much of that color that they had seen was spilled blood) came across one of the most beautiful colors they had ever seen. It was the red hue coloring Kaoru's only recently kissed lips. It was the fairer version of that same color tinting her cheeks shyly, which brought his attention to her eyes. Alert eyes that would normally look upon his face without shame (but had developed the slightly frustrating habit of avoiding his gaze rather recently), were half closed. Whether it was from embarrassment or in remembrance of the kiss, he was uncertain, but if it was embarrassment she certainly wasn't acting like it. He drew in a calming breath as he reached his hand to follow the line of her cheek and then ran his thumb lightly over her still flushed lips.

Kaoru opened her eyes to his adoring gaze, "Be safe on your journey," she said with a warm smile. Her eyes saddened as she reached a hand to touch his scarred cheek. Her fingers hovered nervously near the red mark, but it was when he turned his face slightly into her hand that her nervousness was alleviated. His silent consent given, she traced gently over the scar tissue, feeling the indention where the skin had healed but had not been treated properly. 

Kenshin could see the sadness creeping over her; he knew she felt his pain, even though there was no need for her to. He also knew he couldn't bear his pain alone, as much as he might want to protect her from it. And he had learned from past experience that she would certainly not allow him to shield her from himself without a fight. "Don't worry, I'll be back home with you soon."

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I know it's a bit abrupt in the ending. And it's a bit sappy, and fluffy, and crappy. Hope it didn't suck.

I apologize, but it has been in my head, and it was much quicker to fix and everything than my next chapter of my Gundam Wing fic.

Now time for my micro rant.  I know that I will receive virtually no respect from those who have been watching Rurouni Kenshin for a long time now, as I'm one of those "bandwagon jump"-er on-ers. But just because A) I was a bit poor and couldn't afford to spend 19-24 dollars on a DVD that I wasn't sure that I would like, and B) I live in a cultural void, that carries virtually no anime to rent (I think I spotted 6 anime videos in the Blockbusters of the surrounding areas) does not mean that I appreciate the show any less. I have the last (chronological) OAV, love the animation, and the fight with Jin-nae is wonderful. I would also like to state that I could tell some of the more obvious edit outs in the cartoon network airings. So I beg of any "old school" or "back before it was popular" fans to please not judge those of us who have been a bit more unfortunate than you who obviously have either more friends who like anime (I'm afraid until recently I was on my own, apparently my high-school cousin is into it so I loan him what I have) or have bigger cities that have larger components of people who appreciate things outside american culture. *******Steps down from soap box**********


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